Tannic Acid-Mediated Multifunctional Collagen/Cellulose Nanofiber Composite Aerogels for Sustained Drug Release, Antibacterial Properties, and Hemostasis

An ideal modern wound dressing should simultaneously possess antibacterial, hemostatic, and sustained drug release properties, biocompatibility, and excellent mechanical performance. This work proposes a multifunctional collagen (COL)/cellulose nanofiber (CNF)@tannic acid (TA) composite aerogel based on the regulatory effect of TA on COL self-assembly, intended for antibacterial activity, hemostasis, and sustained drug release. A high-density supramolecular double network structure was formed between COL fibrils and CNFs, and the introduction of TA facilitated COL self-assembly, further enhancing the supramolecular double network structure. The structure of the composite aerogels was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. Composite aerogels’ hemostatic, antibacterial, and biocompatibility properties were also evaluated. Moreover, the drug release mechanism of the composite aerogel was investigated using 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) as a model drug. These results showed that COL/CNF@TA composite aerogels exhibited excellent thermal stability and mechanical properties through the synergistic reinforcement of TA and CNFs. Furthermore, COL/CNF@TA composite aerogels demonstrated excellent hemostatic and antibacterial properties, while maintaining fine biocompatibility. This self-assembly regulatory strategy provides a simple design for a COL-based composite aerogel, and the derived multifunctional aerogel is expected to play a major role in biomedical applications.